1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a compact, optically interconnected laser oscillator-amplifier system consisting of a water cooled, "O" ring sealed, active mirror slab laser medium acting as the oscillator gain medium and a second, water cooled, "O" ring sealed, active mirror slab laser medium acting as the amplifier, the two said slabs being positioned one on each side of a water cooled optical excitation source, their respective output faces being parallel to laser beam reflecting mirrors of rectangular cross-section which allow for the laser beam being generated and amplified within said system to undergo multiple reflections within the space defined by the mirrored back surface of the slab and the mirrored front surface of the said rectangular mirror, two edges of said rectangular mirrors being bevelled and configured to allow a laser beam of either circular or elliptical cross-section to be amplified via multiple passages through said excited slabs, the laser beam output of said slab laser oscillator being routed via reflections off optical components into the slab amplifier where it is emitted in amplified form as a high quality laser beam. The invention has applications as a compact, powerful laser beam generator in defence, industrial and medical laser systems and can be operative in either the pulsed or continuous wave mode.
2. Description of the Related Art
Prior art laser oscillator-amplifier systems capable of powerful laser beam outputs were bulky, utilised separate optical excitation means, were of rod-rod, rod-slab and slab-slab configuration, with the laser beams generated and amplified within the bodies of said rods and slabs, particularly at high repetition rate firing of said system, leading to severe distortions of said laser beam outputs and severe optical path misalignment causing the emitted, distorted laser beam to exhibit severe beam pointing errors which could only be corrected by complex, bulky and inefficient phase conjugator mirrors.